Morning Update

Look at all those pumpkins

Morning update: Wednesday, Nov. 2

In this newsletter

Pumpkins in leaves. Image via City of Madison

Happy Wednesday, friends.

Now that October has come and gone, it's time to brush away the fake cobwebs and put your 12-foot skeletons back into hibernation for another year.

Unwanted jack-o-lanterns, along with other plant-based Halloween decor like corn stalks and hay, can be put out for collection alongside your yard waste. Just make sure you remove any non-compostable items from the decorations and set them on top of your leaf pile or leaf bags. You can check your collection date with the city here.

These decorations can also be composted at home. Not sure where to start? Check out this local guide.

— Hayley

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The election is Tuesday, Nov. 8 — AKA next week! Are you ready to vote?

Check your voter registration here.
Get the details on voter IDs here.
Meet the candidates here.

🍻 Meet me at the combination coffee shop-bakery-bar?

Northstreet, a joint project from Young Blood Beer Company, Bloom Bake Shop, and Café Domestique, is now open in Eken Park.
“It’s a special space where you can unwind over beer and a Bloom pretzel, meet friends for coffee and pastry, belly laugh at the bar, lounge in the sunroom,” Bloom wrote in an Instagram post. “We are so honored to share space with these two fantastic businesses, with like minded values, and to have the opportunity to be a part of the great Eken Park neighborhood.”
Related: Young Blood, Bloom bakery and Cafe Domestique team up in Eken Park (Cap Times)

💸 MMSD has finalized its budget.

The Madison School Board passed its 2022-23 budget on a 6-1 vote Monday night, the Cap Times reports.
The budget totals $597.9 million, which is an increase from the previous two budgets. Much of the increase from previous years comes from federal Covid-19 relief money and additional one-time funding from the state.
Notable inclusions: The budget includes a 3% raise for all district staff (the Madison teachers' union had argued for a 4.7% raise), a $5 raise for some support staff, and funding across a wide range of projects including mental health support, new technology, an upgraded HVAC system, expansion of the driver’s ed. program, and more.
Notable exclusions: Custodial staff had asked for wage increases on multiple occasions during the budgeting process. But ultimately, custodians, bilingual resource specialists, and district trades workers won't see any hourly raises. Board member Nicki Vander Meulen cast the sole vote in opposition to the budget because of the exclusion.
Dig deeper: Madison school custodians were on the front lines during COVID, but left out of support staff raises (Wisconsin State Journal)

💰 Billionaire MacKenzie Scott made a multimillion-dollar donation in Madison.

Scott donated $2.9 million donation to the Urban League of Greater Madison. It's the largest single private donation in the group's 55-year history.
The Urban League plans to use a portion of the money to fund the Black Business Hub. The donation brings the fundraising total for the project to $22 million, only $4 million short of its total goal, Madison365 reports. The new facility is on track to open in spring 2023.
Some context: Scott, the ex-wife of Amazon founder Jeff Bezos, is one of the wealthiest women in the world. Forbes reports that she has donated $12.5 billion to more than 1,250 organizations in the past two years.

A mockup of the South Park Street mural, designed by Michael Ford. Image via City of Madison

🎨 The city wants your input on this public art project.

Some context: Back in June, the city tapped artist Michael Ford — who has been dubbed the "Hip Hop Architect" — to create a mural for a new parking structure on South Park Street.
In designing the mural, Ford met with residents of South Madison and created an image that showcases four local figures: Southside Raiders coach Wayne Strong, Boys and Girls Club of Dane County chef Earsie Green, photographer Marcus Miles, and civil rights leader and Madison teacher Alfonso Studesville, Jr.
Before finalizing the project, Ford is looking for more feedback from Madison residents. You can check out the full concept and provide your thoughts via this survey by noon on Nov. 7.

🌮 Cuco's Mexican Restaurant is closing.

The East Side restaurant located at 4426 E. Buckeye Road is leaving its home of five years. According to the State Journal, the building is being torn down.
While the Cuco's building and name will be gone, the restaurant's owners plan to open a new spot with a new name at 1824 S. Park St. The new restaurant, which has yet to be named, will open next year.

📦 Your lunchtime read: That Cardboard Box in Your Home Is Fueling Election Denial.

Via ProPublica: "Much of the cardboard and paper goods strewn about our homes — the mail-order boxes and grocery store bags — are sold by a single private company, with its name, Uline, stamped on the bottom. Few Americans know that a multibillion-dollar fortune made on those ubiquitous products is now fueling election deniers and other far-right candidates across the country."
Related listen: How The Uihlein’s Became A Conservative Superpower (WORT)

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